After a well has been drilled and casing has been cemented in the well, one or more sections of the casing may be perforated using a string of perforating guns. After the perforating string is lowered into the well to a desired depth, the guns in the string are fired to create openings in the casing and to extend perforations into the surrounding formation. Production fluids in the perforated formation can then flow through the perforations and the casing openings into the wellbore.
In deploying a perforating string in a wellbore, the tools are usually assembled into a relatively long and heavy string, with the string suspended over and run into the wellbore. The perforating string includes a number of perforating guns coupled or fastened together in series, along with other components. The perforating guns are generally aligned in a predetermined pattern as a function of the desired perforation of the well formation.
Present fastening practices typically involve assembling the string manually at the surface before running into the wellbore. Such practices may be subject to human error, inefficiencies, and potential safety hazards. Accordingly, a need exists for a system to couple downhole tools together in series to form a tool string that may be automated and that yields a more reliable connection. The present invention is directed at providing such a system.